HABIB IS HOME January 30, 2005

Plainly it is extraordinary and unacceptable for an Australian citizen to be incarcerated for over three years, and for the the Australian Government not to insist he should have been charged and brought to trial.

Equally obviously, the war against terrorism, if such a description fits the facts, cannot be won, and should not be waged, by methods inconsistent with the accepted processes of justice. To do otherwise is to open the way for tyranny. It is to forget history, and the suffering of those who have lived before us, whose graves are not merely silent but vanished from the earth. The right to a fair and open trial, for example, is something we should all insist on. In our democracy it is the responsibility of every citizen to defend those principles. We should defend Habib’s right to a fair trial, as if it is our own, as it is.

To deny a person such rights requires the payment of compensation, regardless of whether that person committed any crime. It seems that the released British detainees will be suing the American government for compensation(according to Seymour Hersh), and so Habib, and in turn Hicks, and others, will become part of a class action.

Today the new Opposition Leader, Bleazley has gone back to being pathetic. He made a statement to the effect that it was good enough for Habib to return to Australia. He said he was not going to make Habib a hero. The Shadow Attorney General, Nicola Roxon, is, according to the ABC News, more substantive:

Ms Roxon says Mr Ruddock must be careful not to make unfounded allegations against Mr Habib.

“Mr Ruddock is always interested in running these sorts of matters in the media instead of in the courts,” she said.

“I think he should think carefully about what it’s appropriate to say and what it isn’t and he should also tell the Australian public the full story about this matter.”

Ms Roxon says the Government should consider America’s reasons for releasing Mr Habib as they start monitoring his movements.

“I think it’s a little bit rich that Mr Ruddock hasn’t taken account of the fact that the US has let Mr Habib go without charge – there must be a reason for that and he still hasn’t come clean on what those reasons where and I think it’s about time we were told the full story,” she said.

The allegations of torture made by Habib must be taken with full seriousness, and ought to establish that the Australian Government had no complicity in such behavior.

Habib major problems, aside from earning a income, following his experiences will be psychological, even psychiatric, nor will it be easy for his wife and family.

To repeat, if Habib has committed any crime, let that be made public, and then let him face a fair trial. Otherwise the question arises as to why does he continue to be persecuted? Is is on racist grounds, or on religious grounds?

Meanwhile, John Guigginsuggests is Habib accepts sells his story to a media outlet the Government will be tested to make its case, and if it doesnot act then Ruddock should resign.